


clumsy

by ordanary



Series: Fictober [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Bakery AU, Clumsy!Phil, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 11:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16240700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordanary/pseuds/ordanary
Summary: Phil’s clumsiness often lands him in sticky situations, like when he spills flour all over his crush, Dan Howell and his little sister one day at the bakery where he works.





	clumsy

**Author's Note:**

> What’s up, I’m tired, and I want pasta. That’s all. 
> 
> This fic was written for both the ‘bakery’ square of my @phandomficfests bingo card as well as today’s ‘pumpkin pie’ prompt in @philliebf’s (@spookyweekbfs on tumblr) fictober :•)

Phil Lester often considered himself to be one of the clumsiest teenagers in all of Manchester, maybe even all of Europe. He’d always been clumsy, prone to tripping over his own two feet and losing balance at the most inconvenient of times. It was just him, it was who he was. 

It was why he wasn’t allowed to walk the family dog by himself regardless of being nearly eighteen, why nobody trusted him to make them their morning coffee. Hell, it was why Phil’s father had been so damn reluctant to let him near the family bakery downtown. 

Being clumsy was probably one of Phil’s worst traits, the one that had lost him so many summer jobs and kept him from asking so many of his classmates out over the years– because why bother when he knew he was gonna end up embarrassing himself, anyway? He sure couldn’t think of a reason. 

So of course, it had come as a great surprise when his father had actually offered to hire him as his baking assistant the summer before his last year of high school.

He’d argued for days with his parents over whether he’d actually be able to pull through or not, having thought he’d just make a mess of the entire bakery given the chance. Regardless of how badly he knew he needed the money, Phil’s painfully clumsy nature was going to be in the way of whatever paycheck he came into contact with. That was just reality for him. 

He’d made an agreement with his mum in the spring that if he could find an online job by the time summer began, she’d let him off the hook. His laptop was easy, accessible, and very, very hard to muck up. He could get a job taking surveys for money, or editing people’s tricky documents– after all, he wasn’t his school’s top English student for nothing. 

But as it turned out, most online opportunities ended up being shams, or false advertisements, and nobody wanted to hire a seventeen year old to take care of their cover letters. It just wasn’t realistic to some people, he supposed. 

So come June, the realization that he had no choice other than to accept the job at the family bakery became rudely apparent, and he began work a week later. 

The first two weeks of working weren’t too bad. He wasn’t overly clumsy and he didn’t make too much of a fool out of himself. Things were going okay for the most part, and then Dan Howell and his little sister started coming in once a week.

From the moment the slightly younger boy had started making appearances in the small shop, Phil was suddenly hyper aware of every step he took, every stumble he made, and every mess up in his already pathetically quiet speech. 

The problem was, Phil had known Dan since year seven, and even then, he’d been unmistakably smitten for the curly haired boy. They’d been in the same classes up until year ten, when they’d been mostly separated, not that Dan would’ve noticed. 

The two didn’t really talk much, and even though Phil was as good as in love with him, Dan probably didn’t even know his name. Sure, they’d been stuck together for group work a few times, and there’d been the odd time when Phil’s friends would drag him over to talk to Dan’s, but the latter had just never really seemed all that interested in him. 

Dan was smart, and kind, and funny, and way out of Phil’s league. So for the most part, he could get by without worrying too much about Dan’s eyes falling on one of his embarrassing acts of clumsiness. 

Only now there weren’t a thousand other students, or Dan’s friends to keep the boy otherwise occupied. He had his little sister, but Phil had definitely caught him staring a few times, and as luck would have it, it was only ever when he’d messed up in some way, shape, or form that Dan’s golden brown eyes would drift to him. 

So now Phil tried to stay as low key as possible whenever Dan came into the bakery with the youngest Howell sibling, usually picking up a few loaves of bread, a cup of the cheap coffee they offered, and a sugary treat for his sister. 

There were a few small tables off to the side of the bakery for those either waiting or eating in, and they often sat at the one farthest from the cash registers. Thankfully for Phil, that meant he didn’t have to cross paths with him much at all after they’d ordered, and he could easily stay as hidden as he wished. 

The problem this Thursday, however, was that the bakery was being delivered all of their ingredients and whatnot, and this just so happened to be the day Dan and his sister would be coming in. Phil had been told to help carry things in when the delivery truck arrived, and he’d been fearing it all day. He could usually lay low in the back with the ovens on these days, but his father had ordered he help, and unfortunately for Phil, helping meant chancing a run-in with Dan Howell.

When the delivery truck arrived, Phil was lightening quick to meet it outside, waiting impatiently as the driver unlocked the back and opened the doors to reveal more produce and bags of flour that he could count. 

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, grabbing two of the flour bags as the man beside him carried another two alongside him. 

They made quite a few trips into the back half of the bakery and back out to the truck, hauling bags of powdered sugar, flour, salt, and more over their shoulders. Phil kept his nervous eyes peeled for any sign of the Howells, trying to be as fast as possible in order to hopefully avoid them. 

They were nearly done now, and Dan and his sister had still yet to show up. Maybe this would be his lucky day, Phil thought. Maybe he’d get to go hide in the back again, successfully avoiding Dan for the sixth week of the summer. 

“Be careful with that one,” warned the driver, motioning at the bag of flour Phil was currently lifting to his chest. “The top seal is broken.”

Phil glanced down, noticing the man was right and frowning. With his luck he’d end up dropping it. 

“Thanks,” he spoke in response. 

He followed the man back into the bakery, surprisingly doing fine. Well, until he saw Dan, of course. 

The boy was stood in line, his back to Phil and his hand grasping his little sister’s smaller one. Phil hadn’t noticed them coming in. He hadn’t known they’d be in line. 

So inhaling a sharp breath of surprise, Phil did in fact trip over seemingly nothing but his own feet, instinctively reaching his hands out to brace himself against the cool floor and in turn dropping the already open bag of flour, watching in horror as it’s contents flew through the air before him causing the entirety of the two Howell kids’ backsides to whiten. 

Dan turned around, dragging his sister with him as he looked at the floury mess of a boy in front of him with confusion etched onto his face.

Phil just sat there in complete and overwhelming embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to crawl off somewhere private and die where no one was watching him. He couldn’t do that though, because now all of the bakery’s’ eyes were on him, including those golden brown eyes of the boy whose opinion of him mattered most. 

He wanted to cry, truly, but instead he found himself searching for the right apology that wouldn’t make him seem like either an ass or a loser. 

He scrambled to his feet, pushing off the flour covered ground with shaky hands. “I’m so sorry,” he said sheepishly, giving Dan his most sincere eyes. With hope, maybe Dan wouldn’t know at all who Phil was and he could just go down in history as that awkward stranger who’d spilled baking supplies all over him. Yeah, that would be fine, he supposed. 

Dan twisted around, finally catching a glance of his floury backside while his sister giggled at the apparently funny image. Phil sure wasn’t laughing, though. He was mortified. 

Turning back around, Dan grinned. “You got flour all over my ass,” he laughed, swiping his hands over his back and arse in an attempt to rid himself of the flour. 

His sister strained her neck to see if there was any on herself, however unable to see fully. “Danny,” she spoke, her voice small. “Is there flour on my bottom, too?”

Chuckling, Dan nodded. “Yeah, Emmy, there is.”

His sister, Emmy, spun round in circles as a response to her brother’s affirmation, her dress flying up a bit and flour flying up in a small white cloud at the action. 

“Oh, you’ve gotten flour everywhere!” Cried Dan, frowning. He turned to Phil, his eyes just as sympathetic as the latter’s. “Sorry about that.”

Phil snapped back into reality, eyes drifting from Dan’s own to his chapped lips against his will before they landed back on his eyes again. “Yeah, it’s no problem,” said Phil. “My brother’s in charge of cleaning, so it’s fine. I’m sorry for spilling my flour on you, though.”

Dan smiled, shaking his head in amusement. “It’s okay. We were just gonna head home after this, anyway. Don’t sweat it, Phil.”

Eyebrows furrowed, Phil cocked his head to the side. “You know my name?”

“I mean, of course I do. We’ve been going to school together for years,” Dan shrugged. “You’re wearing a name tag, too.”

Phil’s hand shot up to run his fingers over the smooth metal of his name tag, remembering only now that he’d been wearing the small item for months. He laughed nervously, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. “Yeah, that makes sense. You’re Dan, right?” He asked, as if he didn’t already know the answer. 

Dan nodded, smiling wider. He nodded down to his sister, who was busy playing with the hem of her floral sundress. “This is my sister, Emmy.” 

Phil waved to Emmy, who waved back shyly, moving her small hands to grip at Dan’s pant leg and hiding partially behind him. 

“Uh, we should probably get back in line, then,” stumbled Dan. 

Phil got an idea, then. Maybe he could repay Dan and Emmy for spilling flour all over them, and perhaps even land himself on the older sibling’s good side. 

“What were you guys gonna order?” He asked, leaning down to pick up the now half empty flour bag. 

“The usual,” answered Dan. 

“And Pumpkin Pie!” Added Emmy, as if she was worried Dan had forgotten. 

“Yes,” he chuckled. “And Pumpkin Pie.”

Phil nodded. He could definitely cover that on his paycheck. “It's on me,” he smiled. 

Frowning, Dan shook his head. “No, we couldn’t accept that. We’re fine to pay, but thank you.”

Phil shook his head as well, slowly beginning his walk back towards the back room, still facing the Howell siblings. “No, it’s fine, I promise. Please let me do this for you?”

Dan seemed torn between kindly accepting Phil’s offer and kindly declining. Eventually though, with another tug at the fabric of his black jeans from Emmy, Dan bit his lip, nodding in defeat. “Fine, but you have to sit with us, then.”

Phil smiled, only slightly terrified of having to sit with Dan and Emmy. His whole objective had been to avoid them, not get close to them. He nodded enthusiastically anyway, grinning. “Deal.”

Phil proceeded into the back to go grab Dan’s usual bread loaves, setting them aside while he cut three normal sized slices of pie and placed them on three matching plates. 

As if he’d suddenly inherited the most wonderful luck anyone could ever experience, Phil somehow managed to make it from the back room to Dan and Emmy’s table without tripping or dropping something. With their bread tucked under his arms and the three plates balanced in his two hands, he sat down beside Emmy, who was enthusiastically patting the seat beside her. 

“Thank you,” Dan spoke quietly. “Really.”

He gave Emmy a look, who in turn nodded largely. “Yes, thanks.”

The three began eating their Pumpkin Pie slowly, the air a bit awkward and a bit empty. 

“So how old are you, Emmy?” Asked Phil. 

Emmy beamed, sitting up a bit taller. “Six and a half!” she announced proudly, causing both her brother and Phil to laugh. “How ‘bout you?”

Phil looked across the table to Dan before answering her question. “Seventeen.”

She jumped a bit in her seat, seemingly excited about what he’d said. “Oh! Danny is seventeen, too!”

The two boys laughed again, eyes meeting and lingering on each other for what felt like far too long and yet also just long enough. “I think Phil knows that, Em.”

Suddenly her eyes narrowed a bit as she repeatedly glanced between the two older boys, eventually landing on Phil. “Wait,” she said pensively, pressing her open palms against the table. “Is he the same Phil you have a cru–“

“Emmy!” Exclaimed Dan, reaching across the table to press his own palm to her lips to stop her from finishing her sentence. “Shut up!”

Phil’s eyes were wide, confusion and interest sparking in his mind. “Am I the Phil you . . . what?” 

Dan shook his head quickly, and Phil could’ve sworn he saw his face redden just a bit. “Doesn’t matter,” he mumbled, keeping his face down before shoveling a forkful of Pumpkin Pie in his mouth. 

Was Emmy about to say that Dan had a crush on him? Was she hinting that perhaps Phil’s feelings weren’t only his own? Probably not, but Phil still had plenty of questions. 

Taking a bite of his own pie, Phil contemplated whether he should just let her comment go or not. Sure, she was Dan’s sister, but that also meant she was probably out to make fun of him in every way possible. At least, that’s how he’d been with his older brother, Martyn. 

Emmy wiped a bit of whipped cream from the corners of her lips before speaking again, this time much quieter. “Well, I mean, you talk about him all the time.”

“Emmy!” Dan whined loudly, face beat red and eyes wide in what Phil could only describe as the same horror he’d felt upon spilling flour all over Dan Howell’s arse. He looked to Phil, pleading with his eyes for something the latter either didn’t understand or couldn’t grant him. 

Instead, Phil turned in his seat to face a frustrated looking Emmy, pressing his lips together in a firm line before speaking, half regretting the words before they even had a chance to leave his mouth. 

“Emmy, should I ask your brother out?” He wondered quietly, praying to whatever god was up there listening that he hadn’t merely misinterpreted Emmy’s comments as something more than they actually were. 

Emmy heaved a dramatic sigh, leaning over the table and stabbing her fork into her pie. “Please, before he dies alone,” she begged. 

Dan gasped. “Hey! Rude!” His cheeks were even redder than before, now, his eyes seemingly unable to stick to either his sister or Phil for too long. 

Somehow magically managing to push past the fear he felt about this entire situation, Phil leaned forward a bit, silently tapping his foot against the floor and hoping no one heard. “So, Dan,” he said quietly, too scared to speak above that level. “What do you say?”

Dan looked up, eyes big, and round. “For real?”

Phil nodded. 

“Then, I mean, yeah. I’d love to go out with you,” he blushed. 

Before Phil properly had a chance to respond, Emmy was pushing away from the table, leaning back against the cushion of the booth and sliding down a bit. “Finally!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “God! You owe me your life, Danny!”

Laughing, the two boys looked one another in the eye, both silently thankful for her sisterly intervention. 

“I guess so,” said Dan, smiling sheepishly and keeping his eyes down. 

“Okay, I’m done my pie,” Emmy spoke dismissively, pushing harshly at Phil’s side and waiting impatiently for him to move from the spot next to her so she could get out. Once free, she gestured for Dan to stand up as well, looking anything but impressed with his slowness. “You two are boyfriends now, it’s time to go home.”

Dan raised a brow, laughing at his sister as he grabbed their freshly bagged bread from the counter, shoving it into a cloth bag that’d previously been hidden in his back pocket. “Were not boyfriend’s yet, Em. We still have to go on a few dates, first.”

Something about the certainty of the word ‘yet’ in Dan’s statement made Phil’s insides twist pleasantly. Everything had just happened so quickly, and so suddenly, and yet he really hoped all would continue to progress just as smoothly. 

“Speaking of which,” Dan added, looking to a surely blushing Phil. “Give me your phone so I can give you my number.”

He fished in his back pocket for the small device, pulling it out and handing it over to Dan before watching the latter type out a message supposedly to himself. 

After pressing send, Dan passed the cellphone back to Phil, grabbing Emmy’s hand once his own was free again. 

As the two said their final goodbyes, nearly out the door while Phil busied himself cleaning up their three discarded plates, he smiled to himself, confident for the first time that he wasn’t gonna trip over air or drop everything he was carrying the next time he saw either of the Howells. 

Turning around thankfully to see that the two siblings in question weren’t quite out the door yet, Phil paused. “Hey, Emmy?” He called, causing the young girl to turn her head. 

“Yeah?” She answered, hand lifting to absentmindedly pat at the tight, brown ringlets framing her round face. 

“Thank you.”

She smiled, beginning to drag Dan back outside with her again before turning at the last minute. “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading !! Maybe leave a like and reblog on tumblr (@ordanary) ?? As always, kudos and comments are super appreciated and I hope you have a wonderful day :•)


End file.
